The Railway Children - E. Nesbit

was ME. There! If it had been you, you'd have been lying on the sofa looking
like a suffering angel and being the light of the anxious household and all that.
And I couldn't have stood it.”
“No, I shouldn't,” said Bobbie.
“Yes, you would,” said Peter.
“I tell you I shouldn't.”
“I tell you you would.”
“Oh, children,” said Mother's voice at the door. “Quarrelling again? Already?”
“We aren't quarrelling—not really,” said Peter. “I wish you wouldn't think it's
rows every time we don't agree!” When Mother had gone out again, Bobbie
broke out:—
“Peter, I AM sorry you're hurt. But you ARE a beast to say I'm a prig.”
“Well,” said Peter unexpectedly, “perhaps I am. You did say I wasn't a
coward, even when you were in such a wax. The only thing is—don't you be a
prig, that's all. You keep your eyes open and if you feel priggishness coming on
just stop in time. See?”
“Yes,” said Bobbie, “I see.”
“Then let's call it Pax,” said Peter, magnanimously: “bury the hatchet in the
fathoms of the past. Shake hands on it. I say, Bobbie, old chap, I am tired.”
He was tired for many days after that, and the settle seemed hard and
uncomfortable in spite of all the pillows and bolsters and soft folded rugs. It was
terrible not to be able to go out. They moved the settle to the window, and from
there Peter could see the smoke of the trains winding along the valley. But he
could not see the trains.
At first Bobbie found it quite hard to be as nice to him as she wanted to be, for
fear he should think her priggish. But that soon wore off, and both she and
Phyllis were, as he observed, jolly good sorts. Mother sat with him when his
sisters were out. And the words, “he's not a coward,” made Peter determined not
to make any fuss about the pain in his foot, though it was rather bad, especially
at night.
Praise helps people very much, sometimes.
There were visitors, too. Mrs. Perks came up to ask how he was, and so did
the Station Master, and several of the village people. But the time went slowly,
slowly.
“I do wish there was something to read,” said Peter. “I've read all our books